Writers Workshop graduate Ruthvika Rao will read from her debut novel, The Fertile Earth. "The Fertile Earth is the kind of novel that you find yourself wanting a friend to read alongside you, to share in the beauty, tragedy, triumph and heartbreak of the world brought to life within its pages. Ruthvika Rao has crafted an astonishing, intelligent epic set during the early decades of post-independence India, a story filled with moral complexity, intertwined fates, awakenings and romance. Reading...

Join us for an evening filled with incredible performances, stunning art displays, and delicious food at Black Market Connection 2024 at the Stanley! Discover the beauty of Black entrepreneurship and culture, and support and connect with Black artists and entrepreneurs in the Iowa City community.  Dress up or come as you are and celebrate Black art, culture and experience with us! Performances by talented poets, rappers, and singers Music by the amazing DJ cDisiac Artworks displayed in a...

Writers’ Workshop alum Bret Anthony Johnston will read from his new novel, We Burn Daylight. "Symphonic and suspenseful, We Burn Daylight reimagines events at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. In an epic act of empathy, Bret Anthony Johnston inhabits every point of view, from doomed devotees to perplexed law enforcement, and even manages to infuse the tragedy with moments of poignant, very human, humor." --Geraldine Brooks Bret Anthony Johnston is the author of the internationally...

Please join us for a special early release event to celebrate Garth Greenwell’s new novel, Small Rain. He will be joined in conversation by Jamel Brinkley. Greenwell’s eagerly anticipated book has received praise from authors including Miranda July, “I just didn’t put it down”; and Phil Klay, who calls it “a marvel.” Colm Tóibín says, “Small Rain is a marvelous novel: exceptionally vivid, real, and true. Garth Greenwell’s sensibility is rich and generous — the narrator's memories are haunting...